Over 3500 people die daily from hepatitis viruses: WHO

Over 3500 people die every day globally due to hepatitis B and C infections and the disease has emerged as the second leading infectious cause of death globally, as per the World Health Organization Global Hepatitis report. The report highlights that despite better tools for diagnosis and treatment, testing and treatment coverage rates have stalled across the globe.

“New data from 187 countries show that the estimated number of deaths from viral hepatitis increased from 1.1 million in 2019 to 1.3 million in 2022. Of these, 83 per cent were caused by hepatitis B, and 17 per cent by hepatitis C. Every day, there are 3500 people dying globally due to hepatitis B and C infections”, as per the report.

The WHO estimates indicate that a total 254 million people lived with hepatitis B and 50 million with hepatitis C in 2022. Half the burden of chronic hepatitis B and C infections is among people 30–54 years old, with 12 per cent among children under 18 years of age. Men account for 58 per cent of all cases. As per the report, Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, the Russian Federation and Viet Nam, collectively shoulder nearly two-thirds of the global burden of hepatitis B and C”.

“New incidence estimates indicate a slight decrease compared to 2019, but the overall incidence of viral hepatitis remains high. In 2022, there were 2.2 million new infections, down from 2.5 million in 2019. These include 1.2 million new hepatitis B infections and nearly 1 million new hepatitis C infections. More than 6000 people are getting newly infected with viral hepatitis each day”, said the WHO.